Stanford University
Declaration of Independence
Scholars work in pairs to decide whether leaders wrote the Declaration of Independence for the rich and powerful or for every man. To draw their conclusion, pairs read excerpts from two historians and complete a graphic organizer citing...
Carolina K-12
African Americans in the United States Congress During Reconstruction
The Civil Rights Act of 1866, which granted citizenship to all males in the U.S., resulted in the first African Americans to be elected to Congress. Class members research 11 of these men, the challenges they faced, and craft...
Curated OER
Preserving Democracy
Learners read excerpts of the Declaration of Independence and United States Constitution. Using the documents, they identify the ideas of how the government should be run. In groups, they develop a skit that encourages people to be...
Curated OER
The Job of a Legislator
Students review the roles and responsibitlies of members of Congress. After reading excerpts of a book about one member, they write their own version about the same representative. They also identify the challenges and benefits of begin...
Curated OER
The Qualities of a Member of Congress
Learners identify the roles and responsibilies of a member of Congress. In groups, they brainstorm a list of qualities senators and representatives should have. They also work together to develop a brochure for someone to examine if they...
Curated OER
Speech Acts
See various examples of connotations in phrases and semantics. Speech acts are displayed along with their contexts and meanings.
Curated OER
Members of Congress Who Have Made a Significant Contribution
Students examine laws that have benefited the nation in a variety of ways. The congressperson in the legislative branch of the government primarily responsible for the passage of the law and the current representatives are sought in this...
Curated OER
We the People: An American Government Project
Young scholars identify key representatives in the legislative and executive branches of the Federal and State governments
Curated OER
Who Are My Local Representatives? Can I Influence Their Vote?
Students find out who their national, state, and local representatives are and write and mail a letter to one of them. The letter should be persuasive and should attempt to influence their representative's vote on a given issue.
Curated OER
Who Is Who? What Do They Do?
Second graders create rhymes in order to remember the names of representatives and executives in our government at the state level.
Curated OER
Texas, Who Represents You?
Students use the Internet to identify the representatives and senators for the state of Texas. They search for specific information using their home address and complete a worksheet.
Curated OER
Life before Congress
Students name some interesting backgrounds of Members of Congress, identify their current representatives in the legislative branch of the national government, and describe the background of one local representative or senator.
Curated OER
Decision -Making by Parliamentarians: Issues and Decision-Making
Students, using what they know about what influences a representative's decision-making, solve current issues/problems provided by the teacher.
Library of Congress
Loc: Thomas: Legislative Information
This retired site captures historical legislative activity that includes bill summary and status, bill text, public laws by law number, most recent issue, roll-call votes, committee reports, house committees, and senate committees.
Other
The Maine House of Representatives
The official site for the Maine House of Representatives provides information on House activities, bills, and its history. Links to House leadership as well as each representative are also provided.
Library of Congress
Loc: How Our Laws Are Made
This page provides links to every step in the legislative process, from sources of legislation through publication.
Library of Congress
Loc: The u.s. Congress: Resources a to Z
Start your research of the U.S. Congress here! Superb links to any information you may need on history, current profile of Congress, and many other sites.
Other
U.s. House of Representatives: The Legislative Process
Learn about the House of Representatives and how it carries out its responsibilities and duties according to the U.S. Constitution.
iCivics
I Civics: State and Local Governments
Use this library of mini-lessons to teach students about the concept of federalism, from the powers held by the federal government to the powers reserved for the states. They will also learn about state government structures and...
iCivics
I Civics: Reapportionment & Redistricting
Do you know how many representatives your state has in the U.S. House of Representatives? Do you know how that number is determined or if it's ever changed? You're about to find out.